Stimulus Check for "Your Spouse as a dependent"

[xmasbaby0]

@TampaUser

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-topics/help/spouse-claimed-as-a-dependent-box-checked-on-2019-...

[stahl1986]

This is a very interesting update, as I had also filed single as of 2018, so again their information is not correctly aligned. 

[TampaUser]

@xmasbaby0 

Thanks, I did sign up, but I figure the more responses, the less Intuit can call this a "small" problem.

[VolvoGirl]

@xmasbaby0  So it looks like that article has been updated and they are narrowing it down?  Good.

[stahl1986]

There already is a solution, you will need to amend your taxes and hope for the stimulus check after your next round of taxes.  The IRS does not care, nor does turbotax.

[desposito89]

That isn't a solution. I need my check now and TurboTax and the IRS need to figure it out.

[desposito89]

They think it's only a small number of people but it took me 3 months to realize this is why I wasn't getting my check. Imagine how many other people have no idea why they haven't received their check yet. TurboTax could notify their users who have that box checked, but of course, they won't do that. 

[Cknick44]

Someone had suggested waiting to amend returns until e-file amendments were open (that’s something new the IRS is rolling out) but when I spoke to the IRS representative she had said that if an amendment to remove the checked box wasn’t received by October 15, 2020, it was likely that my eligibility for the economic payment wouldn’t change.  I am hoping that the issue is resolved soon, but I did move forward with sending in an amended return just in case it was going to be needed.  The October 15, 2020 date was just to possibly receive it this year, but there was no guarantee.  She said if I didn’t receive it this year, I’d have to wait until 2021 when I filed my 2020 taxes for the IRS to determine if I was eligible then.

[desposito89]

The IRS reps don’t know what they’re talking about. One rep told me that if I see the Payment Status Not Available screen, that I WILL get my payment (which makes no sense because that page says you may be ineligible if you’re seeing this message) So instead of the IRS checking my tax return and notifying me that the checked box was preventing me from getting my check, I had to find out via Reddit. Another rep also told a user on here that even if they amend their tax return, they won’t get the stimulus this year. TurboTax is equally incompetent because I called them about this issue and the representative said I must have checked the box which is BS. So we are waiting for and trusting two incompetent organizations to solve this issue. We don’t really know what’s going on or who to believe. This is America. FML. 

[Bethanyt84]

I pressed my Congressman's office to help with this issue, and ended up getting a call from the IRS, which turned out to be fruitless.  After an hour on the phone with a rep who, to her credit, did enough research to say that even though my 2018 taxes have the "spouse can be claimed as a dependent" erroneously checked (thanks, Turbo Tax!), that should not prevent me from receiving the stimulus money (in theory, it actually should have prompted a closer look at my spouse, no?).  It's like a series of unfortunate events.  So friends, here's what she told me:

• Amend my 2018 return (I have already done this, but apparently my amended taxes have not been processed - count on 16 weeks for that)
• The IRS is tweaking its system pretty much daily due to the number of glitches it discovered after rolling out the first round of payments so quickly (e.g., deceased people receiving checks, temporary foreign workers mistakenly receiving checks, etc.)
• It is possible that our eligibility issue may be resolved by the IRS fixing the glitch and issuing payments in the fall, but don't hold your breath
• Even though my 2019 taxes have been filed (after the first round of payments) and do not have the box checked, they are still looking at my 2018 taxes for eligibility (why? No one could say)
• The most important thing you can do is get your "eligibility" straight as the glitch-ridden IRS system defines it (aka, amend your return so you don't have the stupid box checked)

In the end, and to echo @desposito89's comments, it seems that we are waiting for two organizations to resolve this issue on our behalf when neither has a vested interest in saying they screwed up.  Thanks very much to Forbes for writing the article and bringing light to this situation!  And shame on you, Turbo Tax for absolving yourself of that responsibility.  I enjoyed your claim in the article that "All of these TurboTax customers correctly had this box checked for their 2018 filing."  Classic victim-blaming.   

[desposito89]

Thanks for the info. Would you suggest I amend my 2018 tax return in addition to my 2019 one if they both have the box check? Also, if anyone is an independent contractor or owns a business I was informed of a way to get $1000 quickly. I know it sounds like a scam but I was told by other independent contractors I know that it’s legit. https://youtu.be/_WitJyGYwBg

[Cknick44]

Sounds almost identical to what I was told.

[Bethanyt84]

@desposito89  I would amend any return that has the box checked erroneously just to err on the side of caution.  You may be able to do it electronically at this point instead of mailing it in.  

[Cknick44]

I’m not 100% sure, but I think H&R Bock is the only one that can do the e-file amendments right now.  At least they were suppose to role it out August 17, 2020.  I haven’t heard anything about TurboTax having the ability to do it yet. 

[Kams1]

Thanks for your posts. I just found out on August 18 that this is the same reason that I have not received the stimulus payment for me and my two children. I have used turbotax for years and never checked the box that my spouse could be claimed by someone else as a dependent.

Even though I called before, no one at the IRS told me until yesterday that this was the same reason that I didn't receive the payment and that it was an error on their part. The representative seemed concerned, but said he was not aware of a process to correct it. He said he would file a referral regarding the error, but it could take 30 days to be reviewed and even then I may not receive anything because there is no process and would need to wait until filing taxes next year. Wow, they make a mistake and our family has to wait in this very difficult time. It's so frustrating that neither Turbotax nor the IRS have resolved this problem even though it appears from these posts that it is a known issue. Not sure, either, that the same problem wouldn't happen if there is a second round. This is very sad and disheartening that paying customers and citizens are left out due to their error, but I still hope that something is done soon.